I Promise
by shades of live
Summary: Shinichi/Ran one-shot; Please Review.


Edowaga Conan, rather, Kudo Shinichi had been in a horrid mood as of late. It wasn't caused so much by his extraordinary situation, nor his frustration with menial everyday tasks he was forced to endure day in, day out. No, neither of these reasons were the cause for his dismay. On this Saturday morning the young boy silently crept up the stairs and peered into the small offset room at the object of his melancholy; There Mouri Ran sat pressed up against the window with blank, unfocused eyes gazing outside at what seemed to be nothing in particular. Shinichi's chest stung with a dull ache as he watched her completely unguarded form release a shaky sigh as she raised one hand gently to her eye. Waiting. She was always waiting… and for him.

In truth, there was no way of knowing his 'departure' was going to drag on for this long. A few days, a week, tops, was the original assumption. If there had been a way of knowing that Ran would be put through the mental anguish she'd already been forced to endure up to this point, well… he cast his eyes off toward the ground, searching for an answer he knew he wouldn't find there, especially since the damage had already been done.

Stifling another exasperated breath, Ran's entire body seemed to shudder with every exhale. It wasn't so much the waiting that weighed heavy on her mind. No, she would wait forever, if that's what Shinichi'd asked of her— but therein laid the problem. She had no idea anymore if this is what he wanted, or if it was just what she had convinced herself was supposed to be. Closing her eyes she would try to think back, combing every memory for a sign that he wanted something more from her than what their relationship had been before this never-ending case, but every time she would come out with more unanswered questions.

Suddenly, she jerked out of her quasi-comatose state and glanced behind her confirming what she had felt a moment before—she wasn't quite alone anymore.

"Ah, Conan-kun, I hadn't heard you come in…" She replied with mock-cheer, once again slipping on her mask of strength for both herself and her loved ones; A dull, subtle sadness still lingering in the blue of her eyes.

Conan once again recoiled at the gaze that proved to be too much for him—_This ends now_, he silently decided.

The following weeks proceeded much like any other. Cases came and went, school continued to be the burden it always proved to be, and once every so often the phone would ring and Ran would hold her breath hoping it was the one person who she always silently hoped for. However, she found lately more than ever that wasn't the case as much as she'd hope. That being said, this day proved to be one of the exceptions which had been, to say the least, very few and far-between recently.

Returning from school that afternoon she proceeded to her room to find something quite unexpected waiting for her there. Upon entering she approached her bed where she would find, resting on her pillow, a tiny velvet box. Only steps behind her, Suzuki Sonoko would follow and instantly focus on said object with a glint in her eyes:

"Ran, what is _that_?" Her smirk so apparent in the stress of her speech that Ran didn't even need to turn to confirm the expression on her friend's face.

"…I-I have no idea. Perhaps it's an early birthday present from Mom?" It was true, her mother had promised to buy her something extra-special this year, but from what she recalled of the conversation the plan was to go shopping together to pick it out. Stepping closer she'd reach a hand out to gently lift it from its position resting on the bed.

"It looks expensive!" Sonoko would chime in, eyes peering over the other girl's shoulder as she examined the label on the packaging a little closer for some type of hint, "That's where Papa always shops when he buys me jewelry!"

"…what is Ran-neechan looking at?" Conan's voice caused both the young women to glance away from the mystery box, eyes feigned with curiosity while the rest of his disposition spoke volumes to his collectivity.

"This? I don't know yet, Conan-kun—"

"Well then open it and find out already!" Sonoko would cut her off mid-sentence, clearly excited to see what lay inside.

Lifting the lid gently Ran's breath caught as she glanced at the sight before her; There rested a delicate silver ring composed of two intertwining hearts.

"It's so…"

"Wow." Sonoko glanced at it with a grin, "Well _your mom_ sure has great taste!" Her playful eyes glancing over at her friend with a small wink and light elbow jab, an action which was completely missed by a still awe-struck Ran.

"She does." She replied, dumbfounded by the intricacy of the gift. At that, Conan's face fell slightly as he held in his desperate protests to their conversation. Clearly, his work was far from finished.

Later that evening, like clockwork, the phone of the Mouri Detective Agency rang just as dusk settled on the horizon. Ran dashed up the stairs to the office to grab the receiver as it started its fifth ring, but before she could form the words to answer, a very familiar person on the other side spoke first:

"…let it ring enough, didn't you?" The young detective's voice was laced with laughter and seemed to be in good spirits; a mood which, for once, Ran could relate to. Not that her voice would reflect this as she replied with a curt:

"Well I'm sorry, but maybe if the phone around here rang more often I'd be more inclined to answer."

"That can't be good for business…" He'd tease as she'd lightly giggle at his jab to herself,

"How are you, Shinichi? Still—"

"Working on a case, yeah."

"I figured as much." Her answer wasn't sarcastic in the least, but instead a little dull with acceptance as her finger traced a pattern on the desk in front of her. An awkward silence followed for a moment before Shinichi cleared his throat and finally spoke again:

"So, um… did you get my present...?" His voice slightly on-end as he left a nervous incompletion to his thought.

"Your present…?" Ran blankly repeated his words before a red-hot blush rushed to her cheeks.

"Yeah, sorry, I know I'm not great with that kind of thing but I figured that you may like it…" Conan's own seven-year-old features were warm with a matching scarlet tone as he spoke into the payphone. Once again the conversation was overcome with uncomfortable quiet. Fidgeting while he waited in silence for her reply, it was becoming perfectly clear to Shinichi that his nerves were becoming too much to stomach: "…Ran, look I'm sorry, but I…" He sighed heavily, as if it would reset his almost on-fire cheeks if he did so.

"Shinichi…I--" Ran began to reply, her voice still a little weak with utter shock of the situation.

"…I really have to go… but I'll call back soon," His voice working hard to emphasize the sentiment, "I promise_._"

"Wait—Shinichi!" However it was too late, the phone had already disconnected before she was able to gasp the words. Hanging up her own end she would turn her head and glance out the same familiar window as she, once again, found herself with more questions than answers.

For a good week or two following the conversation, Ran often caught herself toying with strange ideas more and more frequently. It wasn't so much hesitation, but a mild form of denial that plagued her thoughts. As it were, Shinichi would of course call again before the week was out, but neither had the nerve to bring up the awkward conversation of the pervious call. As a matter of fact, the next time the topic was brought up at all was completely out of the blue at breakfast two weeks later. That morning the table was set for one less than usual [thanks in large part to the late Mah Jongg game that Kogoro had attended the night before], and Shinichi decided to take the opportunity to ask something that had been bothering him for quite some time:

"Ran-neechan?" Conan would begin, his curiously serious eyes looking particularly reserved on that morning as he noted her bare hand for what was turning into the better half of a month.

"What is it, Conan-kun? Is something bothering you?" The normally fresh morning cheer faltered for a moment as concern claimed the girl's face.

"Well…" He began, trying to choose his wording very wisely given the tricky situation at hand. Even so, it wasn't long before he gave up on the futile task to articulate exactly what was on his mind: "Do you not like the ring Shinichi-niichan gave you?"

The question was more than enough to catch her momentarily off-guard.

"Of course I do, Conan-kun. I wear it everyday!" The smile returned to her face as she pulled a thin chain from beneath her uniform's collar, giving him a clear view of the ring hanging gently off the end. Instead of returning her smile, the boy's face stayed somewhat skeptical.

"…did it not fit?"

"Yes and no." She replied with a tiny blush, returning the ring to it's former position before she spoke, "…it fit my finger, but—"

The pink stain grew in size once again as she began shaking her head quickly, "It's complicated, Conan-kun. You see, there are some fingers that mean something more if you wear a ring on them…" The discomfort in her demeanor more than apparent as she continued with an uneasy smile, clearly only for his sake, "but it's okay, because I can still wear it like this and enjoy it just the same…but I'm sure you don't want to hear about boring things like that, right?"

He nodded solemnly, still very conscious of his words and actions;

"Right, Ran-neechan."

A month and a half had passed since the controversial present first appeared on Ran's pillow and the same young woman would curl up next to the window sill in her father's office, desperate to get some alone-time on a quiet Saturday night. Reflecting on her exhausting day full of domestic responsibilities and criminal drama [in one form or another], it only took a moment before a deep sleep claimed her. Snoring gently against the cool glass, she found comfort in a quiet voice off in the distance. Far too strong to be a dream, the girl would stir for a moment as she began to wake her from her slumber:

"Ran…Ran, are you awake?"

Her ears perked up at the familiar timbre of the voice, but quickly faded as she released heavy sigh, of course her sleep-deprived mind was playing another trick on her. She kept her eyes shut as she listened for another moment, waiting for reality to grab her. After all, this type of thing happened all the time and she simply had to be logical about it. Turing slightly to face the door, she'd answer:

"Yes, Conan-kun?" Her voice clearly still a captive of the deep sleep she had just been a party to.

"Conan-kun? The weird kid with glasses, again? What is it about him that reminds you of me…?"

There was no way Ran could deny it a second time. Her eyes jolted open as she glanced about to see the source of the voice. Not to be disappointed, she saw the all-too familiar form standing just inches away from the couch.

"Shinichi!"

"Yeah," He smiled warmly at the girl, looking utterly exhausted as he struggled to look happy for her, "I can only stay a minute…" The young man quickly qualified his statement in a hushed tone. He didn't want to give her false hope, but it was important he get his message across correctly this time, and he wasn't sure how much longer he had to stay: "I just… well, I stopped by to confirm something, Ran."

The teenage girl's pulse quickened as she worked with everything in her power to keep her cheeks from turning pinker than they already were;

"Confirm? What do you need to confirm?" Shinichi's mouth moved into what she thought looked like a smile, but it was hard to tell from the downward angle he had his eyes cast.

"I'm sorry to bring it up again but…" he stopped mid-sentence and walked over closer to the girl. As he approached her side, he quickly reached a hand around the back of her neck and gave a light tug at the chain lying just below her hair. It didn't take much force to snap the small links of metal and in a moment the entire coil lay in the palm of his hand before her.

"Shinichi!" Her heart pounded quicker as she found herself completely taken aback by the sudden action on his part. The dreamy quality of the whole moment seemed to blur even more before her eyes as she soon realized she was now, somehow, sitting face-to-face with the teenage detective.

"You were wearing it wrong..." The volume of his voice barely audible as he spoke, making it more than apparent that he was struggling to get the words out despite his normally over-confident disposition. Shinichi slid the ring off its restraint, then smiled before gently placing it onto Ran's fourth finger, eyes never rising from his actions "…there. That's better."

His blush now more than apparent to anyone despite his lowered head as he squeezed her hand softly before releasing it.

Ran wasn't entirely sure how long he stayed after that, or what they spoke of [if anything was said at all], but quicker than she could absorb all that had just happened, she found she was alone once again on the window, the last words Shinichi spoke before he left continuing to ring in her ear for a long time after he was gone: "_Read the inscription." _

Inhaling carefully as her cheeks continued to burn, her shaky right hand reached for the ring and as she slid it off gently. For hours Ran simply sat in a dreamy silence reading the delicate lettering on the inside of the jewelry over and over again. It was almost as if she could hear him say it each time her eyes passed over the message, and that in itself was more than the answer she needed. Glancing down once more before replacing the object, she would read it aloud for the first time:

"I promise."


End file.
